Posted this in the "Autostyle" home page section but thought it might be more appropriate here. Any help greatly appreciated:
Hi guys.........Can anyone give me some insight into "Autostyle" @ Hustville or a competitor that is doing it a little tougher to give a potential customer the courtesy of replying to my emails. I'm looking for someone to help me with exploring the next (probably another stupid) idea I have to getting myself a nice everyday SW20 hard top (cause sure as hell if I havent been able to buy one now - I never will). OK so what I propose is this - import an excellent whole late model HT GT as a "race car" (or parts, garden ornament etc.) - buy the cheapest piece of complianced crap I can find here - dismantle both - and build what I want here from scratch (like I mean from scratch!). Has anyone thought of this? Am I gonna face more barriers - like will it blow out beyond Lotus Evora costs - if I can even find anyone that will talk to me about it? If I'm sounding like an complete f___n idiot - please dont feel afraid to let me know what I already suspect!

http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=111156#111536
 
http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=110913
 
http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=110865
 
http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=84194
 
Well there's four on the first page of for sales just here on this forum. But hey, if you want to import a late model hardtop to strip it and fit out a hardtop thats already here. Sure, why not. 

How to buy a hardtop SW.
I think it's much the same as any other car.
 
1. Find a car you are interested in. Either by word of mouth, advertisement or car club.
 
2. Call the seller. Ask them a few details about the car and the price. If it sounds ok to you, here's the next important step...
 
3. Go to where to the car is and have a look at it or arrange someone to do that for you. It's doable! I spoke to a member on the club drive today, she bought her car from Cairns, and she lives in Newcastle. Before that car she was about to arrange a mechanic to inspect a car that was in Perth.
 
4. Do your ownership, outstanding monies and crash history checks on the car.
 
5. Decide if you would like the car.
 
6. Agree on a price.
 
7. Pay for the car.
 
8. Drive the car away and make sure the car is now registered to you.
 
So there's an eight point plan to help you get a hardtop SW. They are not flooding the market, but they are there to be found.

Mate respectfully, what I need to know is - who can I speak to (hopefully 2 contacts for quote) Autostyle dont respond to emails, will the cost be stupidly prohibitive (perhaps someone has done it before?), and can it be done? - i.e. use the compliance of the local car to rebuild what is effectively a late model import & meet with all regulations - remember I want a hard top so I would buy the worst possible ADM targa (just for its compliance plate) and rebuild from the import shell what was essentially an ADM car - how much would I need to "inject" into the import to make it legal???? - again has anyone done this? Thanx++

From memory you will need a cams licence and a history of some track events to import a "race only" car

mr2twanted
Mate respectfully, what I need to know is - and can it be done? - i.e. use the compliance of the local car to rebuild what is effectively a late model import & meet with all regulations - remember I want a hard top so I would buy the worst possible ADM targa (just for its compliance plate) and rebuild from the import shell what was essentially an ADM car - how much would I need to "inject" into the import to make it legal???? - again has anyone done this? Thanx++

 
Ok, so just so I can understand what you are asking here.
 
You want to buy and import a late model hardtop, as a 'race only' permission car, buy the 'worst available' t-top for its compliance plate? Then 'build' a hardtop car, with all the hardtops parts, hardtops shell, etc but have the t-tops compliance plate?
 
That would, in short, seem like a question of how to circumvent the regulations under which you imported the hardtop.
 
Buying a car 'just for it's compliance plate' is known by another name - car rebirthing. 
 
So if you want advice on how to do any of the above, i doubt it's going to be found here. Why not just ring customs and the importer, give them your details and wait for some further advice from them which will probably be more forthright than mine. 

No - not rebirthing - take the bare shell ADM remove roof and fit imported HT roof (saw this done on a TV program with a Mk 1 Escort with a terrible sun roof) - car is still ADM complianced - respray with internals out - then use internal parts to complete? What do you think?

Yes mate, that would be much more cost effective than buying a hardtop thats already here in the country. And much better made too, those clowns at Toyota never really stuck the hardtops down that well anyway. i'm surprised there aren't way more SW spyders getting around.

And you'd need to have the car engineered to show that the roof was installed correctly. God knows what would happen if the govt decided that as the car wasn't sold as an ADM with a hardtop and they wanted to test it.
 
I feel like i'm getting sucked into some troll void here so i'll stop. 
 

OK, OK guys, apologies - to all for my ignorance - I think I get the message - "dreaming" (respect to all) - I didnt mean to offend anyone - Thanx for your advice :-)